as in to reduce
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
a succession of personal tragedies had benumbed him to all grief
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of benumb
Because both actors look like lumpish proletarian versions of Ingmar Bergman stars — Alma Pöysti, radiant yet benumbed, plays Ansa like a dish-towel Bibi Andersson, and Jussi Vatanen could be the schlump brother of Max von Sydow (with a dollop of Ryan Gosling).
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 May 2023
What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.
—George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 May 2023
What’s destructive, and eventually benumbing, is the kitchen-sink clutter of fantasy, reality, wish-fulfillment and glib enchantment.
—Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2019
But her core insight into how even mediocrities can be institutionally benumbed and conscripted into heinous projects remains fertile.
—George Prochnik, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benumb
Verb
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This has, among other losses, reduced Egyptian revenue from the Suez Canal by about eight hundred million dollars a month.—
Bernard Avishai,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
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Cost Savings: Automation reduces labor costs and minimizes errors.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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His failure to contend in that or any subsequent majors became a big storyline: Had Rahm’s move to LIV dulled his competitive edge?—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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The intentionally half-baked approach to Season 2 foreshadows an overstuffed and potentially controversial third season, the emotional effect of which will be dulled by the likely long hiatus (Season 1 premiered in January 2023).—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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To blunt the potential for change fatigue, a sensitive manager will recognize this and work to make each person on the team comfortable with whatever shifts the company needs to implement.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
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Others may intensify diplomatic efforts with the United States, hoping to blunt the fallout of a deal struck at their expense.—
Lynn Kuok,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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After a series of trials with ether, Morton conducted a public demonstration, which successfully numbed the patient’s pain and marked a major breakthrough in medical practice.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 Apr. 2025
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Topical Anesthetics Daily use of topical (applied to the skin) creams or gels that have an anesthetic (numbing) effect may help.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The previous six champions were all diminished the following season by either injuries or significant roster changes.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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But the same things that prevent parents from maintaining employment or housing — especially substance abuse and mental illness — often inhibit them from engaging in services, while also diminishing their ability to protect and care for their children.—
Emily Putnam-Hornstein and Naomi Schaefer Riley,
Twin Cities,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Agreeing to a pick swap with the Lynx weakened the value of the pick that the Sky traded away.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
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One by one, the sectors defect, and, eventually, the leader may weaken and their government may fall.—
Julia Angwin,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
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By studying the images, engineers can confirm and enhance the sonic-boom-deadening properties for the XB-1's airframe.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
3 Mar. 2025
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Lightweight glass, a reduction of sound-deadening materials, and the marginally lighter 6-speed manual gearbox help the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T Cabriolet weigh 3,505 pounds—the company's lightest manual open-roof variant.—
Michael Harley,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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While the threat of more tornadoes has subsided in the Great Plains, fire danger remains elevated Monday in the region.—
Ginger Zee,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2025
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Inflation, which went wild post-Covid, subsided in February, according to data yesterday that gave markets a brief reprieve.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Benumb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benumb. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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